Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-15
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE NATIVES VERY LOW IN The
SCALE OF BARBARIsM.


II has BEEN reported at different Tires that
many of the natives on the hofIheasteau
coast of Australia are cannibaiS, but this
charge has never been brought against even
the worst of the west Australian blacks.
They are hideous race, and about as low IN
the scale of civilization rs it is possible to go.
To see native girl digging in the ground
for daleeits and boobies their names for two
kinds Of small narrowing marsupials, thu
flesh of which they esteem very highly,
crouching on her launches and breaking |
away the earth with a long stick in one hand, |
while with the nails and fingers of the other
hand she throws it behind her for all the |
world like dog hurrowing after rat, is as |
disgusting a sight N it is possible for man |
and brother to behold, unless it he to see |
her lord and master lying asleep and, if he |
had the opportunity of getting grog, drunk
in the hut close by, with perhaps two or
three old hags, couple Of half starved kan
CARGO hounds and mass OF skins, opossum
remains and filth, which makes one turn
away with loathing from the scene.
The huts which they build for themselves
are the most temporary and toughest kind OF
constructions A few large branches leaning
together in the shape of round hut, covered
sometimes with strips Of bark off the paper
bark a tree that affords a tough and tibrous
covering, and only large enough for three or
four to lie down in, and pretty close together,
too. Such is their idea of "home."
The utmost limit of their clothing in the
bush is a kangaroo skin cloak and band of
hair which they tie around their heads to
keep their own swarthy locks out Of their
eyes In the north and where white men are
scarce they go entirely naked, and appear to
be without the sense OF shame Every man
has the right to three or four wives, and they
generally have them of very various ages
An old gray haired man often has a wife Of
Il years old among Others. 1t is, of course,
rather a stretch of language to call them
wives, for they have no kind Of marriage
ceremony, and are as often secured by alb
duction as by purchase. This way of win
ming a wife is naturally conducive to con-
slant fighting, which forms large part of
the interest of their lives, the more so as,
owing to the low value set upon women's
lives, that sex (which it is really impossible
in this connection 10 speak of as the fair SEX
is scarce.
They eat any kind of food they can lay
their hands upon, meat of any kind, of
course, and no matter how stale, the fat and
entrails quite uncooked and the remainder
scarcely more prepared Snakes, lizards,
frogs, white ants, grubs Of almost any kind
and the bodies of some kinds of moths they
esteem highly. The women, who always
have to do anything in the way of carrying
that has to be done, carry their babies
tpickanines slung over their backs in a kan
CARGO skin. If woman has not got baby
to carry, or sometimes even if she has she
carries a bag made of the same material, the
contents of which constitute their only food
against future want 1t is al awful thing TO
see the contents Of this bag. The writer has
seen two women, who had come up to an
Australian station to beg for food, given the
remains of rice pudding in pudding dish.
The one who carried the bag took 1t down
off her shoulders and gravely began to un-
load it-on top, perhaps, two or three crusts
of bread, green with mold, then piece of
raw meat half putrefied; an old tobacco pipe;
an opossum's skin; some red clay, little
greasy; black hair; and at last a very dirty
piece of ali old flannel shirt was reached
This, which was about foot square, was
spread carefully on the ground The contents
of the pudding dish wore scooped into it with
HiOSI uituN uftHu II was neatly dli BfdNeIl
folded up and put back in the bottom of the
bag, and then the other valuubles were re-
placed on top of it,
And yet, though so degraded, they are far
from useless, these creatures. They make
tolerably good shepherds, can be taught to
use their hands skillfully in any way that is
desired, and the good ones among them may
be trusted to do things that many white
4 IL l.
Settlers will send their horses long distances
in charge Of "hlackfelow, and sheep, too
are often Intrusted to them to dive to out
lying stations or down into the town to mar
ket
Even those Of them who have been brought
most near TO state of civilization requirt
every now and then month in savag'
state in the bush, md after working. perhaIr
about the stable yard, in clothes, and appear
ing quite dOmestlcated for months together
they will suddenly inform their employer
Me walkaway morning. which is equva
lent to saying that they require holiday
And next morning they may be seen airily
clad in single kangaroo skin, their blacl
hair all stained red and clothed with horri
BILE mixture of red clay and grease calleC
''wilgie,n and carrying small shield, couplt
Of spears and as many boomerangs Tor kelley
as they call them, setting out for a montl
In the woods with three or four more Of theil
tribe.
When natives are out in the bush it is nee
essary for them alwa VS. to go fully armed, fol
almost every native of another tribe is theil
enemy to the death, and they are broken III
into great number of tribes If native O
one tribe dies member Of another tribe ha
to be killed. This is the nearest thing they
have TO any religious code, and it is in vain
that white men have tried to stamp out tb
savage custom Their principal weapon o
offense is the spear, the bow and arrow bein,
quite unknown among them.
They have no ideas, however rudimentarv
of creator or supreme being, and the onl,
consciousness Of the supernatural which the,
seem to have is Il fear Of evil spirits: Ties
they appear TO associate with dead peopl
who have been left unburied They attribut
all illness to the Vaccinations of these la,
spirits.
They ore very cruel to their wonel
f'Gins," as they call them, making then
build the huts and carry firewood, and do al
the work there is to do, and spearing then
through the leg or cruelty beating them
the very slightest provocation
Girl babies they often kill. On the day @
the writer's arrival on one station sheep an
cattle ranches are called STATIONS In An,
tralia), he was shown little black picka
niny, only week DID, as a curiosity, and
most strange looking inhuman little animf
it was. The following morning some of th
gins, who came up to the house each mornin
to beg for tea, announced quite calmly tha
Monkey 1.-THE babys father was going to XII
pickaniny. The owner Of the station, VIII
was justice of the peace, sent solemn me
sage to Monkey to the effect that if he kiiIe
that baby "whitefellow governor kill him
The next thing heard was that Monkey an
his gins walk away" and it appeared tha
up to the time Of their departure, at any rat.
the tiny mortal was still living.-San Frau
cisco Chronicle
Danish Rule in Iceland.
Iceland, with about 10 900 inhabitants. is
Danish possession and supported constitu
tlonal contest against the arbitrary ruie q
gle Danish government until constitution